The Lost Hope
by spirit-of-the-melody
Summary: Flying was the only thing that meant something to her anymore. She has lived forgotten on an island northeast of Skyloft. Can a chance meeting turn her life for the better?
1. Chapter 1: The Past and Present

**A/N Hey guys! I know I need to update SSCR, but this idea popped into my brain a while ago. I'm pretty proud of it. Took me most of the day to write this. :)**

**See you at the bottom!**

The early beams of sunlight were cast upon the small island, the long twin rocks making shadows on the ground. The few patches of grass and the lone yellow flower seemed to glow along with the lime green grass. The sunlight reached a window, where a red haired girl began to stir.

The girl rubbed her jade green eyes and looked out the window. The sun was coming up over the clouds, turning them a pale yellow-orange, the same color of the bricks of her house. It was a perfect time to go flying.

The girl yanked off her nightgown and threw on a sleeveless emerald green dress and grabbed her dark forest green sweater off the wooden rocking chair in the living room. She pulled a comb through her curly hair and ran out the door, pulling her brown boots on as she went, her dress flapping at her ankles.

Her sunset red hair shimmered in the early morning sunlight as she ran across the tiny island and jumped off the edge. Her whistle echoed across the sky and a flash of green caught her eye.

The girl smiled as she landed on her loftwing's back. Like all loftwings, the belly and the edge of the tail and wings were white along with the orange beak, the rest of the loftwing's body was a slightly darker shade of her sweater.

They soared across the pink-orange sky, cutting through the clouds as they flew. She could make out a dim outline of Skyloft in the distance if she squinted, along with some loftwings circling the large island. She saw more than usual, some landing and some flying. She decided that the night patrol was finishing up and the day patrol was starting.

She flew a little farther away from Skyloft. She had never truly been among those people. She was there a lot in her younger days. She never was at home there. Her home was an island northeast of Skyloft, southeast of Beedle's Island. She had lived there all her life and had no plans to move the any other island.

She used to be there all the time, talking to the shopkeepers and playing with the other children her own age. She knew many people on that island and they knew her. She was a frequent visitor.

Then her father's accident happened.

She was 10 years old and she was stroking her newly acquired loftwing. The Loftwing Gathering had been a few weeks before. She looked up to see her father coming out of the house. She waved to him and he came over.

"How are you doing sweetheart?" he said, looking at her loftwing.

"Great!" she smiled. "I can't wait to go flying!"

Her father bent down to ruffle her hair. "I thought you might want this." he said, placing something in her hand.

She opened her palm and saw a scarlet beaded necklace that was the perfect size for her loftwing.

Her smile turned into a wide grin as she hugged her father tight and whispered her thanks in his ear. Her loftwing let out a loud caw, startling them both. The bird seemed to grin as they began to laugh, rolling around in the grass. Their laughter seemed to echo across the sky as they failed to get a hold of themselves.

Her father's laughter began to fade, but his grin didn't. He stood up picked the giggling girl off the ground and spun. The girl's laughter turned into shrieks of joy that brought her mother out of the house. When she saw the scene, she too began to smile.

The mother plucked the girl out of the father's hands and set her on the ground. The girl resumed stroking her loftwing as her parents began to talk.

"If it's not too much trouble, can you pick up some potion from Luv when you go to Skyloft today?" her mother asked.

"Which one?" the father replied.

"The Heart Potion. I'm completely out."

"Sure, but why?"

The mother eyed her daughter. "Because of that girl over there."

They both laughed.

"Alright honey. Anything else you need?"

"No, that's it. Thank you." She said, kissing her husband on the cheek.

"You're welcome."

"Well, I guess I'll get going." Her father began to walk to the edge of the island.

"Wait dad!"

The girl ran after her father, trying to catch up.

"Can I come with you, dad? Please?" the girl begged, her eyes glittering.

"I don't think that's such a good idea-"

"Dad, please? I really want to go flying!"

"You haven't had your loftwing very long sweetie. I think we should wait." Her father said.

"I really want to fly though!"

Her father turned to the mother. "What do you think?"

Her mother shrugged. "It's okay with me, as long as she listens to you."

The father turned to his daughter. "Alright, you can come."

The girl cheered. Her loftwing looked like it was smiling again.

"But!" the father added. "You need to listen to me. I don't want you getting hurt."

The girl nodded eagerly.

Her hair streamed behind her as she whistled for her loftwing, her father doing the same. The girl wanted to scream with glee. She was flying!

She looked at her father, who was smiling at her.

"Just follow me!" he called.

She nodded and they headed to Skyloft.

She noticed it was getting harder to fly about halfway to the island. Her father was obviously having no problems, but she was trying to maintain control.

She narrowly missed crashing into wind portal. Wind portals were known to send you on a gust of wind so you could go to your destination faster. Beginners were warned not to use them until they had more experience because of the dangers of falling off the loftwing.

Across from her, her father began to frown. The girl guessed that he was having problems as well.

"You all right?" he called.

"Sort of." She responded.

"We're almost there. Just hang in there!"

Her loftwing was beginning to sway from the wind. She gritted her teeth and tried not to fall off.

The sky was still blue, but she knew something was up. She had never experienced such high winds before. Then again, she had only been flying for a short time.

Her hair whipped around her, blocking her from seeing. She yanked her hair back and saw a wind portal.

It was now or never.

Her hair was yanked behind her as the wind carried her to Skyloft. She had never been so happy to see the island.

They both managed to arrive in one piece.

The winds were still high on Skyloft, but not as high as they were in the sky. They saw the knights struggling to stay on their loftwings as they attempted to land. The people of the island had been ordered to stay inside.

They managed not to fall off the stairs going up to the Knight Academy and they got inside safely.

She didn't remember much about the rest of the day. She only remembered that she stayed at the Knight Academy, while her father stayed at the Bazaar with Gondo, who was working on some sort of robot.

She did however, remember what happened that night.

She was sharing a room with a redhead and a blonde, both of them girls. The redhead was staring outside, watching the setting sun. They had names, but she couldn't remember them.

"C'mon! Can the sun set any slower?" she muttered.

"I told you a million times not to do it! Don't!" the blonde said worriedly.

"Do I listen?" the redhead said with a grin.

"No." the blonde sighed.

"Am I missing something here?" the girl asked.

The two girls looked at each other. The blonde spoke first.

"She wants to go night flying." The blonde said rolling her eyes.

"Night flying?" the girl asked.

"Flying after dark." The redhead said acting like it was the most obvious thing in the word.

"I thought that wasn't allowed." The girl said.

"It isn't." the blonde said. "You can get in huge trouble if you go night flying."

"I've done it like twenty times and I haven't been caught yet." The redhead said smugly.

"You're going to get caught sooner or later." The blonde argued.

The redhead responded by rolling her eyes.

"What happens if you get caught?" the girl asked.

"I'm not sure." The blonde said. "I know you can get expelled from here, but that's all I know for sure."

"You could go night flying you know." The redhead said to the girl.

"Me? I can't! My father would kill me!"

"Don't worry about your father." The redhead replied. "You'll be fine!"

"Who else is going night flying?" the girl asked.

"Most of the boys downstairs." She said simply.

"Don't go night flying! Please!" the blonde begged.

The redhead turned to the blonde. "It's fun. You need to try it! Besides, your dad's the headmaster! No way would he expel his daughter!"

"Says you." The blonde muttered.

The girl dozed off as the two continued to argue about night flying.

The girl felt herself being shaken as she woke up.

"C'mon!" It was the redhead. "Let's go!"

The girl saw that the blonde was awake as well.

"What if we get caught?" the girl asked.

"Then I'll take full blame." The redhead replied.

"I don't know how you dragged me into this…" the blonde said.

The redhead just grinned.

Outside, they met up with another blonde, this time a boy. He was also with a brown haired boy that looked like he didn't want to be there.

"Hurry!" the redhead girl whispered, giving out black bandanas. The blonde haired girl stared at the redhead.

"Why do we need them?" she asked quietly.

"Because from above, we'll look like black dots. They'll mistake us for trees. Now hurry up!"

The five walked around the island, avoiding anything that cast light. The kept walking until they came to a cave.

"Come on!" the redheaded girl said. The four followed with doubts.

The girl slid on some slime once or twice in the cave and the brown haired boy fell in a puddle of water. Other than that, there were no incidents.

Outside the cave, they were sheltered from the above. They followed the redheaded girl until they saw a diving platform. Without any hesitation, the redheaded girl dived off the platform to the sky below.

She gave a low whistle that could only be heard by a loftwing. The birds were known for their sharp hearing that no other creatures could match.

One by one, each of the kids followed the redheaded girl's lead. The girl was the last one to go.

She took a deep breath, and then jumped.

They all dove into the cloud barrier. While they couldn't go past the barrier to the fabled surface world, they could fly in it.

When they were a safe distance from Skyloft, they flew a few inches over the cloud barrier.

The redhead girl was smiling. "See?"

The rest of the night was a blur.

In the morning, the girl woke up to voices in the hallway. The redhead and the blonde girl were already listening, ears pressed against the door, looking through the keyhole. The headmaster was talking to one of the teachers.

"Do you think he was mistaken?" the teacher asked.

"I highly doubt that. The knight said it was happening frequently." The headmaster replied.

"Yes, but everyone knows they aren't allowed to do that!" the teacher argued.

"I know that very well Owlan. But someone was out flying last night, the knight is certain about that. A few other knights saw similar things."

All three girls caught their breath.

"Should we add more people to the night patrol?"

"When we are certain I think."

The voices drifted down the hallway as the girls looked at one another. They made a silent agreement not to fly at night for a while.

The girl said her goodbyes to the two other girls as she jumped off the diving platform with her father.

Looking down at the cloud barrier, she couldn't believe she had gone night flying.

The girl didn't notice the wind picking up as she stared out into the sky, trying to remember the details of the previous day until a gust almost knocked her off her loftwing. From her right, her father was looking at the sky.

They were caught in a freak summer storm.

The sky turned dark as rain poured down from the heavens. Lightning light up the sky, and thunder pounded against the girl's eardrums. Her bird began to screech.

Another gust of wind sent her nearly flying off her loftwing. She managed to stay on.

Her dad wasn't so lucky.

The girl screamed as her father fell off his loftwing. He managed to land on one of the stray boulders floating around in the sky. But it was only a matter of time before he fell off.

His poor loftwing flew to the boulder to try and save him, but the winds smashed the bird into the boulder. The bird tumbled out of the air and the girl watched in horror as the brown bird dropped out of sight.

Her father was beginning to slip off. The girl tried to get close, but there was no way to get to him. The winds would either push her off course or smash her into the boulder.

Her father slipped off. He would have fallen, but he managed to grasp the edge of the boulder. He began to sway with the wind.

Tears streamed down the girl's face. She knew her father would die.

"Sweetheart." Her father yelled against the wind.

The girl sobbed.

"Tell your mother I love her."

The girl nodded through her tears.

"I love you Amber!"

And at that moment, her father fell.

She dived for her father, but he was falling too fast.

"I love you too dad!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face.

Her mother was wracked with grief. She held her daughter close, both of them crying. He was gone forever.

A year later, her mother fell ill with a fever. Amber was there by her side, talking to her, caring for her. But no matter what she did, she couldn't bring down her fever. It became worse, and by the time Amber came with a doctor, it was too late. All she could do was hold her mother's hand as the light faded from her eyes.

A loud screech brought her back to reality. She swerved to avoid a twister. They had been popping up in the sky frequently these days. Thankfully, all they could really do was knock you off your loftwing, with plenty of time to call your loftwing again.

Still they were pretty irritating.

The sky had turned to a powder blue, the sun a pale gold ball over the horizon. Amber sighed and turned her loftwing back home.

She looked down at the cloud barrier, where her father and his loftwing had went under. Did they die when they hit the cloud barrier? She had no way of knowing.

"_They could have gone down to the surface_." Amber realized.

It was too much to hope for.

"Watch out!" someone yelled.

Amber almost fell off her loftwing as someone crashed into her from the left.

"Whoa!"

She twisted her head to see who smashed into her and came face-to-face with a blonde haired boy riding a Crimson Loftwing.

The fact that he had a Crimson loftwing amazed her, but made her no less annoyed that he had crashed into her.

She gave the boy a dirty look and flew off with a burst of speed.

"Hey wait!" the boy cried, flying after her.

Something fell off his loftwing. He dove down to retrieve it, but Amber got there first. He had dropped a book.

"Thanks!" the boy called. "Can you give it-"

Amber took off, the book clutched in her hand.

"Back." The boy finished, chasing after her.

Amber did everything to throw him off, loops, twists, turns, but he was quite the flyer. Within minutes he had snuck up behind her and grabbed the book.

"Thank you." He grinned, putting his book in his satchel. "Sorry about crashing into you earlier."

Amber scowled.

"No hard feelings, right?" he smiled.

"Sure." Amber grumbled.

"Well someone's grumpy!" the boy said, sky blue eyes mischievous.

"Shut up." Amber snapped. This was the last thing she needed.

"I'm Link. Who are you?"

"Amber."

"Haven't seen you around before. Where do you live?"

Amber raised an eyebrow. "Nosy much?"

Link chuckled. "Sorry."

Amber rolled her eyes and pointed. "Over there."

"Not much to follow."

Amber laughed.

"Link!"

Amber turned her head to see a girl with blonde hair on an indigo loftwing flying towards them at top speed.

"I've been looking for you everywhere! Owlan says he needs to talk to you pronto!" the blonde haired girl said.

"Alright then. See you around Amber." He grinned and he and the blonde haired girl took off on their loftwings. Amber smiled, and then turned her loftwing around. Time to go home.

**A/N So how do you like it? Should I continue with this or should it be a longshot? You decide!**

**-Princess Aleada**


	2. Chapter 2: A Purple and Blue Chest

_The wind howled, throwing her hair to the back of her. It was midnight and not a star shone in the sky. The clouds covered the light of the moon, so there was only a little light to see with. _

_She heard noises. Turning, she saw Link and his Crimson loftwing in the shadows. She smiled, relieved to see a friendly face. She took a step toward him as his loftwing took off. She reached out, but then at her touch, he began to fall. She grabbed his arm and tried to pull him up, but he was too heavy. She lost her balance and tumbled through the air. At the cloud barrier, a pair of teeth was clearly visible as they fell into the creature's awaiting mouth…_

Amber woke up with a start. She threw back her curtains. It was the middle of the night, the stars gleaming along with the moon. She sighed and flopped back onto her bed. She was clearly not going back to bed anytime soon.

She stepped outside, the breeze pulling her hair back. The lone yellow flower gleamed in the moonlight, putting the patches of tall grass to shame.

Amber walked to the rocks, where a patch of dirt lay between them. She had started a garden there after her mother's death. She wanted to visit Skyloft as little as possible. It brought back too many painful memories when she thought of it.

"_Can I come with you, Dad? Please?"_

"_We're almost there! Hang in there!"_

"_I've done it twenty times and haven't been caught yet."_

"_Because from above, we'll look like black dots. They'll mistake us for trees. Now hurry up!"_

"_I love you Amber!"_

"No, no, no!" Amber began to cry, remembering every single detail of that day. She fell to her knees, sobbing in her hands. Her tears fell to the dirt, leaving silver puddles before vanishing into the ground.

"_Why does it have to be me? Why?" _Amber thought as her tears turned to sobs.

The sun began to rise in the sky. Amber had stopped crying a while ago, but now she was staring at the little garden, lost in thought.

Something nudged her shoulder. She turned her head to see her loftwing. It seemed to be smiling as Amber wiped away the trails of tears.

"Let's go buddy." She whispered as she dived of the edge of the island.

Amber had stopped at an island north of Skyloft. It was a few minutes from Bamboo Island, but worth the time. It had a small lake that was big enough for her to swim in. She dangled her feet in the water as her loftwing took off to the sky.

Something poked her back. She turned, thinking it was her loftwing again, but came face-to-face with an entirely different creature.

**A/N Well, I was disappointed to find no one had reviewed this, but then I decided it didn't really matter. I really like this story idea and I've decided to keep going with it. You're welcome. :)**

**See you at the bottom!**

She screamed, falling into the water. It tried to grab her, but instead, they both fell in. When Amber surfaced, she realized the "creature" was only Link.

"Don't… do… that!" She gasped.

"Sorry." He was grinning again. Amber longed to punch him in the face.

His eyes seemed to reflect the blue water, until Amber realized that was the color of his eyes.

"Did you see what's on top of the island?" Link asked.

"Huh?"

"C'mon, I'll give you a boost."

Amber found herself being lifted to the air as she tried to grasp the top of the island.

"I can't reach!" Amber shouted to Link.

"Keep trying! My arms are about to give out!"

Amber kept wildly grabbing and managed to grab the edge.

"I got it!" She shouted. "Now can you give me a- whoa!"

Amber now was hanging by her hand. She tried to grab the edge with the other hand, but it was out of reach.

"I didn't say let go!" she yelled.

"Well I'm sorry!" Link yelled back, holding her by her feet.

Amber found a rock to put her foot against. She pulled herself up to the top of the island. Grabbing Link's hand, she gave him enough support for him to come up.

"Look." Link pointed to the center of the island.

Surrounded by patches of grass, lay a purple-blue chest that shined in the sunlight. Amber could see her reflection.

She grasped the top of the chest, finding that it refused to open. She tugged and pulled, but the lid stayed shut. She pushed it, but it seemed to be stuck to the spot.

Amber flopped to the ground. "It won't open." She said.

Link tried to pry it open with a small knife he had in his pocket. He twisted and turned it, but the result wasn't an open chest. It was a broken knife.

Link held the broken hilt in his hands, and then threw it to the ground in frustration. He sat down next to Amber, eyeing the chest.

"What do we do now?" he said, idly playing with a strand of grass between fingers.

Amber laughed. "Fix your knife?" she said teasingly.

Link scowled had her, and then threw the blade of grass at her.

"Oh my gosh! It's grass! I'm so scared!" Amber said sarcastically, batting it away with her hand.

Link grinned, and then shoved her. Amber shoved him back. It turned into a game of shove-the-other-person-as-hard-as-you-can-without-falling-over.

The late afternoon sun shone as the two watched the knights fly around Skyloft and the surrounding area. It was very entertaining when the knights crashed into each other.

"I've always wanted to be up there."

Amber turned her head to Link. "Huh?"

"Up there with the knights. I've always wanted to be up in the sky saving people and stuff."

Amber sighed. "I'm not knight material that's for sure."

Link laughed. "I don't think any of us are right now."

Amber gave Link a small smile. "I guess." She said quietly.

Link grinned and poked her side. "Stop being gloomy Amber."

"I am not gloomy!" she said standing up.

Link rolled his eyes.

"Oh shut up." Amber said, crossing her arms.

"I didn't say anything!" Link protested.

"Whatever." Amber turned so her back was to him.

Link stood up to face her. "Okay Amber. Something is up." He said, staring into her jade green eyes.

"I don't think I can tell you." She murmured quietly.

"C'mon Amber! Just tell me!" Link was beginning to sound like a whiny two year old.

"I barely even know you!" she protested.

"We kind of just spent the afternoon together you know." Link pointed out.

Amber rolled her eyes.

"Is it something with your parents?" he asked. "Are they fighting?"

Amber's eyes began to fill. She turned away so Link couldn't see her falling tears.

"What is it?"

Amber whirled on him. She couldn't take it any longer.

"My parents are DEAD Link!" she shouted. Her tears flowed down her face, making tear trails on her pale skin.

She turned to the end of the island and began to run. She managed to get a whistle out as she dived off the island. She could here Link running after her.

Her loftwing caught her as she began to sob. She heard Link's whistle and knew he was chasing after her. She didn't care. She just wanted to go home.

How ironic. She had started the day in tears. It looked like she was going to end it in tears.

**A/N I know, kind of short, but I'm kind of pressed for time during the weekdays. I'll try to get a new chapter out once a week. I wish I had more time to write. :(**

**-Princess Aleada**


	3. Chapter 3: Accidents Happen

**A/N A huge thank you to the people that reviewed the last chapter! If you're wondering about the author's note in the middle of the story, it somehow got put in the middle, not the top. **

**I'm going to stop typing this author's note and get on with the story. :D**

Amber could hear the flapping of Link's loftwing as she raced through the sky. She knew Link was following her. She wanted to get away from him.

She raced through the sky, trying to get away. It was no use. Link was catching up.

Amber dove to the cloud barrier, hiding under the clouds with Link on her tail. She shot up and rose high into the sky.

She didn't realize Skyloft was in front of her until she ran into a group of knights. Literally.

The knights were almost thrown from their loftwings as Amber raced by. Their loftwings were screeching and flapping wildly. The same thing happened when Link shot past them.

Amber could hear the knights yelling at them, but she didn't care.

Something grabbed her from behind. Amber yanked her head around. It was Link. His eyes were staring into hers again.

She tried to get of his grip, but he held firm. Amber looked at the cloud barrier below.

She jumped.

She heard Link's cry of surprise as she dived. She heard Link flying after her.

"Amber!" Link screamed.

Too late did she realize what Link was screaming about.

A twister was right in front of her.

Amber was flung high into the sky. She screamed, trying to break away from the wind.

She was thrown to the side. She was out of the twister. She was dizzy and couldn't see where she was going. The world was going black. She hit something rubbery, then hard. Then she felt nothing.

Amber didn't know how long she was out. She opened her eyes and a hazy image of Link loomed in front of her. She blinked as he became clearer.

"Are you alright?" Link asked worriedly.

Amber slowly sat up. "The world is spinning..." she murmured. She looked up at Link. "How long was I out?"

"About an hour." He said, helping her up.

The world began to turn violently. Amber almost fell over but Link caught her.

"Dizzy." She muttered.

Link laughed.

Amber looked up. Her head felt like it had been cracked in two, her back was sore, and her stomach was churning. She luckily hadn't broken any bones.

Amber leaned on Link for support. Her legs felt wobbly, as if they were made out of jelly blobs. She felt sick and suddenly had a need to throw up.

Amber looked around. They were on a dirt floor, with huge mushrooms surrounding them. There was the ledge, but Amber didn't look any higher than that. She was dizzy enough as it was.

Link set her down on the floor. On the side, there was an opening. Amber's vision grew hazy as she curled up into a ball. Link was calling for help; there was a dark gray loftwing and a brown haired boy… the world faded to black again as Amber slipped back into the dark.

_Amber stood in front of a pit. Roars echoed deep from within, making Amber draw back in something was dragging her into the feet. She tried to regain her footing as she slipped, beginning her descent into the gloom. _

_She tumbled onto the floor of the pit. She staggered back up as a cold laughter echoed off the walls of the pit. Amber pressed her back to the wall of the pit as a figure walked in front of her. A white hand lunged at her throat as she screamed…_

"Amber! Are you alright?"

Amber's eyes shot open. Link ran through the doorway, dressed in his white sleeping clothes.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You were screaming.

Amber looked out the window and her eyes met the stars. She sighed and turned back to Link.

"It was nothing. Really." She gave him a small smile.

Link still looked uneasy.

"Stop worrying so much." Amber teased.

"Oh shush."

"Link? What's going on?"

A blonde haired girl stood in the doorway, dressed in a white long-sleeved nightgown. Her dark blue eyes look at the two with worry.

Link smiled at her. "Hey Zelda." He said. "I was just checking up on Amber."

"_Zelda… where have I heard that name before?" _Amber thought.

Another girl was in the doorway, dressed in the same attire as Zelda. She had red hair like Amber, but her hair was more orange than anything else. Her navy blue eyes flashed with annoyance.

"Who screamed?" the redhead asked.

Amber smiled meekly. "Nightmare." She said quietly.

Zelda gave her a warm smile. "It's alright."

"Well please don't scream anymore." The redhead said.

Amber was beginning to get annoyed. "Well it's not like I can stop nightmares."

The redhead opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off by Zelda.

"Karane, cut it out! She's been knocked out for over a week!"

"Wait a minute." Amber said sitting up. "Did you say a week?"

Zelda turned to face her. "Yes. Why?"

Amber covered her mouth with her hands.

"_I've been knocked out for over a week! Oh why did I dive off my loftwing? I bet the poor bird is probably hurt and here I am, thinking about myself!"_

Amber covered her face with her hands as a tear slid down her cheek. She was aware of everyone staring at her, but she didn't care.

"You two lucky Pipit was flying around there." Karane said. "I don't know what would of happened if he hadn't seen you two."

"_So Pipit was the brown haired boy that I saw… it was nice of him to help Link." Amber thought._

"I guess we are." Link said quietly.

Zelda yawned. "Anyone else think we should turn in?"

"I'm in." Karane said nodding. "Horwell is giving us that huge test tomorrow."

"What?" Link shot up.

Zelda groaned. "Link…"

"Hey it's not my fault I forgot!"

"Technically, it is." Karane snickered.

Link glared at her. "Shut up." He growled.

Zelda rolled her eyes. "Well I'm going to bed. See you guys tomorrow."

Zelda walked out of the room, her blonde hair swishing out of sight. Karane turned to Amber.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you Amber." She said quietly. "I'm not really happy in the morning."

Amber grinned. "It's alright; I haven't been very cheery either lately."

Karane relaxed, looking relived. "I'll stop by tomorrow and get you some pumpkin soup."

With that, Karane went after Zelda.

Amber was alone with Link now. "You should go study, Link." She said softly.

"Jeez, you sound like Zelda." Link grumbled, standing up. He began to walk out of the room.

"Link?"

He turned. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I ran away from you." Amber took a deep breath. "I just miss them a lot."

Link smiled. "It's alright. I really don't like talking about my parents either."

Amber cocked her head. "What happened?"

I really don't know…" Link sighed. "They went flying one night and never came back…"

Amber felt a lump in her throat. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I was only a year old. I really don't remember them."

"Oh…"

"Well, 'Night Amber." Link was grinning again.

"Goodnight Link."


	4. Chapter 4: Meeting New People

**A/N Well here is chapter four! I can't say much more then enjoy! :D**

_WHUMP!_

Amber groaned, picking herself off the wooden floor. She twisted her head, wondering what she tripped on.

Well, typical. Link had left his textbook on the floor. Amber guessed he had come to check on her during the night.

"_Men…" _Amber thought. _"They are always so overprotective."_

The sunlight has streaming in through the small glass window. The birds were making a huge racket outside. Amber usually liked birds, but this bunch was just plain noisy.

Some clothes laid out on a small wooden chair caught her eye. She picked up the garments, careful not to drop them. A long sleeved dress was in her hands, the sunlight making the forest green fabric shimmer. Pressing the dress against her body, the dress stopped a little below her knees. A slightly darker pair of green leggings was still draped on the chair. A pair of plain dark brown boots stood on the seat of the chair. A note drifted to the floor. Amber snatched it up before it hit the ground.

_Amber-_

_I figured you didn't want to walk around all day in the clothes you've been wearing for a week, so I got you these. I hope you like them!_

_-Zelda_

Amber glanced down. She hadn't realized she was still wearing the clothes she wore the day Link showed her the chest. They were wrinkled, dirty, and they smelled a bit too. They were literally screaming "WASH ME!"

Amber chuckled a little at the thought. Not wasting any more time, she climbed into her new garments and picked up the textbook on the floor. Yanking her door open, she stepped into the hallway. She hadn't gone more than a few steps when she met a redheaded boy.

The boy grinned, an evil glint in his eye.

"So." He said, walking up to her, invading her personal space. "New girl huh?"

Amber has not easily intimidated. She shoved him. "First of all, I was only staying the night." She said frowning. "And second, your hair is in my face."

The boy's hair was in an interesting fashion. It went up in a huge spike over his head. His long sideburns draped over his cheeks like red strings.

The boy growled. "It is _not _in your face." His face turned sweet again. "What's your name sweetheart?" he said, getting closer to her.

Amber kicked his knee. His legs gave out, and he hit the floor with a loud thud.

"_Don't." _Amber growled. _"Call me sweetheart."_

Amber kicked the side of his face for good measure, and then went down the stairs. The last she saw of the redhead boy was a tall blonde haired boy helping him up, while another boy, this one plump and black haired staring at her angrily. Amber rolled her eyes.

As she descended the stairs, she bumped into a brown haired boy. He tripped, his textbooks flying everywhere.

"Sorry!" Amber gasped. "Are you alright?"

The boy got up, rubbing his neck. "It's alright. I'll live. By the way, you look familiar…"

Amber bent down to grab a textbook. "Well, that's interesting."

"Wait a minute." He said, pointing a finger in her face. "You're that girl I rescued a week ago!"

Amber felt her cheeks turn pink. "Well… umm…" she stuttered.

The boy broke into a wide grin. He had a splash of brown freckles across his cheeks and nose and had midnight blue eyes. "Hey it's alright. It's all in a day's work."

Amber smiled, relieved that he wasn't mad at her.

"Are you heading down to breakfast?" he asked.

"If I can find out her breakfast _IS_." Amber laughed.

The boy chuckled. "You know what? I'll show you."

Amber relaxed. "Thank you. I have no clue where anything is. Heck, I don't even know where my _room_ is!"

The boy laughed. "Don't worry. The first week I was here, I was like that too."

They gathered up the last of the boy's textbooks. Together they went down the staircase.

"Hey, I never got your name." the boy said.

"Oh, right! I'm Amber."

"I'm Pipit."

0*0*0

"Where WERE you guys?" Karane demanded as the two sat down.

Pipit grinned. "Amber got lost."

"I did not!" Amber protested. "I crashed into you!"

"Oh yeah, _BIG _difference." Pipit said rolling his eyes.

Amber shoved him off his stool.

Pipit got up, brushing off his dark brown pants. "That's a great reward." He said sarcastically.

"Get used to it." Amber turned to Karane. "What's for breakfast?" she asked.

"Pancakes." She said, pointing to the stack of them on one of the tables.

Amber began to get up, but then saw the redheaded boy going up for them and decided to wait. He spotted her and scowled. Amber gave him a smug smile and waved.

"What's his problem?" Zelda said as she sat down with her pancakes.

"What happened to his FACE?" Link asked, plopping down next to Amber.

"I kind of kicked him in the face." Amber muttered.

Zelda spewed water all over the table, hitting Pipit in the face. "YOU DID WHAT?"

"Keep your voice down!" Amber hissed. But it was too late. Zelda's outburst drew the redhead boy and his two friends over to the table.

"I'm guessing Tomato Head over here told you idiots about her latest adventure." The redhead snarled. He turned to Zelda. "Excluding you of course Zelda. You're too beautiful to be an idiot."

Zelda's face narrowed. "Get _lost _Groose!" she growled.

Amber raised her fist as a warning.

"Your kicks don't hurt. How bad can your punches do?" he sneered.

"This." Amber swung her fist, connecting with his stomach. He winced, but his grin returned as he straightened up.

"Didn't hurt."

"Your face says otherwise." Karane snickered.

The plump black haired kid chuckled. The blonde boy gave him a dirty look and he stopped mid chuckle.

"You wanna get punched?" the redhead growled, pulling back his fist.

"Groose, go smash your head into a wall." Link said, rolling his eyes.

"So Linky boy wants to protect his friends? "he sneered.

"GROOSE!"

The headmaster grabbed his arm. "What did I say about bothering my daughter?"

Groose muttered something.

"What did I say?"

"To not to." Groose muttered.

"Correct. Now go sit down."

Groose grumbled, and then went back to his seat, leaving his two friends behind.

The blonde boy was crawling around on all fours under the table. The black haired boy was staring at Karane.

"Strich, there are no bugs under our table!" Link yelled.

"Jeez. Have some respect for bugs." Strich muttered, getting up.

"Go away Cawlin." Karane said as he opened his mouth.

The two boys went back to Groose's table.

"Can I have a pancake?"Amber asked Link.

"Get your own." Link mumbled.

Amber grabbed a steaming pancake off of his plate. "Got my own." She grinned.

Link made a grab for his pancake, spilling the syrup all over the table in the process.

Karane jumped off. "Watch it Link!" she shouted. The syrup was beginning to drip off the wooden table.

Amber grabbed a towel and tried to mop up the sticky mess. The result was a very shiny and sticky table.

"Yuck." Pipit said, putting his hand off the table.

"I'd like to see you do better." Amber grumbled.

Pipit grabbed the towel out of her hands. "I will." He smirked. Amber rolled her eyes.

Amber grabbed a sticky textbook in Link's lap. "Here you go." She said.

"It's ruined! It's all sticky!" Link groaned.

"Stop leaving stuff in my room then." She responded.

"Wait, your room? I thought you were staying until you felt better!" Karane pointed out.

"Okay, point." Amber smiled.

"Where do you live Amber?" Zelda asked.

Amber grinned. "I'll show you after you guys get back from lessons."

Link groaned. "I hate tests!" he mumbled.

Zelda and Karane burst out laughing.

"What?" Link asked confused.

"N-No-Nothing." Zelda said giggling.

Link stared at the two girls. "You two are weird." He decided.

"Yes they are." Pipit grinned.

"Hey!" Zelda protested. "We aren't the ones that flushed rupees down the toilet!"

"You dared us to." Link responded.

"Oh whatever." Link said, rolling his eyes.

The bell rang, signaling the start of classes.

"See you at dinner Amber?" Pipit smiled at her. Karane suddenly became very interested in the floor.

"Yeah, sure." Amber said returning the smile.

The four left to go to their various classes. As the dining area emptied, she stared at the window. The leaves were ever so slightly beginning to change into their fall colors, signaling the beginning of fall. Amber hadn't thought much of the seasons. Now that she thought about it…

Amber gasped, running to the front door. Her plants!

She ran outside, feeling the crisp air against her face. How wonderful it was to be outside again!

She reached a diving platform and stopped inches from the edge, almost falling over. What if her loftwing was badly hurt? Would she fall and fall without her loftwing flying to catch her?

Amber decided to test. She let out a long, clear whistle.

Almost at once, a flash of green landed right next to her. Amber smiled, and ruffled the bird's feathers.

"Hey girl." She whispered. The bird gave a squawk as a response.

Amber jumped off the edge, with her loftwing close behind.

0*0*0

"I will NEVER trust you two again!" Link said, slamming his plate down on the table.

Zelda and Karane smiled at him, high fiving each other.

"It's not our fault you never pay any attention during class." Karane snickered.

Link threw a grape at her head.

She ducked, and it hit the wall, turning into a green mush. "There goes a perfectly good grape." She sighed.

"It wouldn't have gone top waste if you hadn't ducked." Pipit chuckled.

"Oh you be quiet." She grumbled.

Amber was eating an apple. "Stop wasting fruit." She mumbled.

"Speaking of plants, how's your harvest going?" Link asked.

"Pretty good." She responded. "The pumpkins are almost done and I harvested a bunch of carrots and lettuce this morning. The strawberries and cucumbers should be ready in a few more days."

"That sounds delicious!" Pipit reached for an orange.

"Are you giving the pumpkins to Pumm?" Zelda asked. Pumm ran the Lumpy Pumpkin with his daughter Kina. They were known across the sky for producing some of the best pumpkin soup you could ever ask for.

"Most of them. I'm going to save some for pumpkin pie." Amber grinned.

"Pumpkin pie…" Karane sighed.

"Who doesn't love pumpkin pie?" Amber grinned.

"I like apple the best." Zelda said.

"Apple pie? How can you like apple pie compared to chocolate pie?" Link said.

The five started arguing about the best kind of pie. Amber noticed the sun slipping below the horizon.

"Oh darn! I have to go!" Amber groaned.

"Can you meet us by the Light Tower before lessons tomorrow?" Pipit asked.

"Sure! Bye guys!" Amber waved, and then raced outside. As she dived off the platform, she thought of something.

Could they be her friends?


	5. Chapter 5: An Invitation

**A/N Chapter five is here! I honestly didn't think I would have gotten this far with this story. Thank you reviewers! *gives out cookies* :) I read through this, and fixed a ton of errors. I really need to proofread more…**

Amber went barreling through the house. Tripping over a box, she pulled on her new boots. She was late, and she wasn't sure if they could meet her before school.

She yanked a white sweater out of her closet as she ran out the door. _"Why did I oversleep? It's not like I didn't know I would be meeting everyone this morning…"_

She dove off the island, her mind racing. _"I mean, it's the least I could do, showing up. I'm such an idiot!"_

0*0*0

"Look who finally showed up!" Link teased as she landed.

"Sorry, I overslept!" Amber groaned.

"That's odd. Your usually up first thing in the morning." He replied.

"I know, I know. I'm not sure was going on this morning. Where's everyone else?"

"I think Pipit's still on patrol. I don't know about everyone else though."Link looked around. "By the way, your hair is all messed up."

Amber groaned. She knew her hair was all frizzy, but did he really need to point that out?

He started whistling. Amber rolled her eyes.

"Did you really have to say that?" she asked.

"I guess." Zelda said, walking over to them. Karane wasn't far behind.

Amber yawned. "Does anyone want a strawberry?" she asked.

"Yes!" Karane cried.

Amber checked her satchel hanging around her neck. "I forgot them." She said sheepishly.

"Really?" Karane mumbled.

"Yes."

A shadow loomed above the four. Amber looked up and saw Pipit diving off his light orange loftwing. He waved as he opened his red sailcloth to the ground below.

"Hey Pipit!" Karane said cheerily. Amber smiled. Link shoved her.

"Hey!" Amber protested shoving him back. It was turning into the very game they had played on the island with the purple-blue chest.

Link shoved her again. Unfortunately, Link didn't notice that that they were on the edge of a diving platform. Amber tried to regain her balance but instead fell backwards to the clouds below.

Zelda screamed as she began her descent. Karane tried to grab her hand, but she was falling too fast.

"_Sweetheart." Her father yelled against the wind._

_Amber sobbed._

"_Tell your mother I love her."_

_Amber nodded through her tears._

"_I love you Amber!"_

It was pure irony that the memories were coming back now as the clouds drew closer. Her eyes stung from the wind as the white loomed in front of her.

She heard something that sounded an awful lot like another scream. Had someone else fallen?

The clouds drew closer and Amber realized that she was enjoying the precious few seconds she had to live. She squeezed her eyes tight, knowing it was far too late to call her loftwing.

"Gotcha!"

Amber felt something close around her waist. She opened her eyes.

She was soaring through the clouds. Had she died and her spirit was floating above her body?

She turned around. There was Link, with his sky blue eyes and sandy blonde hair, his smile of one of relief. There was his Crimson loftwing that was carrying them. Then there were her friends, who had been screaming a minute ago, now were shouting with happiness. Their hair shades, blonde, red, and brown all blended into one glorious mix of color.

_Friends. _Never had the meaning had seemed so powerful to Amber. She began to regret all those years she had spent closed off from other people. Everything was worth it for friendships like these.

She stared into the eyes of a sheepish Link. He was the one who pushed her, but he was the one who caught her.

Link opened his mouth. "Amber, I'm-"

Amber put her hand over his mouth. "Apology accepted."

His Crimson loftwing cawed, as if in agreement.

0*0*0

"Link!"

Zelda was running to Link at top speed. Without stopped, she plowed into Link, knocking him over.

"YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HER!" Zelda shouted. She began to attack him.

Amber yanked Zelda off Link. "Zelda, please calm down! I'm fine!"

Zelda panted. "I'm watching you." She said, pointing at Link.

The bell rang. Its chime seemed very far off to Amber.

"Darn it!" Pipit shouted. He took off running. "Catch you later Amber!"

The four took off running towards the academy. Amber started laughing. They were as bad as her!

Amber gazed up at the sky. The statue of Hylia rose above her, the sky being dull compared to the pure white marble. Amber gazed upon it, feeling tiny compared to the giant statue.

"Excuse me. Are you Amber?"

A white haired man was standing in front of her. He had piercing black eyes that were as dark as the night. He had surprisingly long hair, for it went down to his shoulder blades. Amber sensed this was a man not to cross. However, the smile lines on his face detected a friendly nature.

"Y-Yes" Amber stuttered.

"I'm Professor Owlan, an instructor at the Knight Academy. You were saved by Pipit a week ago, correct."

"Yes." Amber said meekly.

"You seemed to get along very well with some of the students already, aside from a few individuals." He commented.

Amber turned pinker. "Well Groose-"she started.

"Was bothering you and you turned to violence?" Owlan finished.

Amber seemed to turn pinker. "Well…"

"It is quite alright. We however, urge you to turn to ah, more peaceful methods I should say, if you want to attend the academy."

Amber felt her knees go weak. "Excuse me?"

The professor nodded. "There has been an open spot ever since Miss Orielle graduated last year, along with Miss Kina. Mister Fledge took Kina's spot, but Orielle's old room is still open. That was the room that you had been staying in for the past week actually."

Amber put her arm against the Light Tower for support. "So you're saying..." Amber said slowly. "I can join the academy?"

"In short, yes." Owlan nodded.

"But I thought you had to be tested…" Amber trailed off.

"You have." The professor said.

"When?" Amber asked, titling her head.

"Don't you remember?" the professor inquired.

"I don't really…"

0*0*0

Amber began to remember the testing day. It was a week before the Loftwing Gathering, the time when 10 year old youths got their loftwings. She was sitting in an examination room, with a brown haired boy to her right. To her left, there was a redheaded girl. Behind her, two blondes, a boy and a girl were whispering to each other.

"Stop worrying!" the blonde boy whispered. "Of course you'll get in! Your dad is the headmaster!"

"I really don't-"the blonde girl began.

"Shh!" the redhead turned to them. She pointed to the teacher in front of the classroom. The two fell silent. The brown haired boy grinned and gave them a thumbs up. He went to go give the teacher his test.

0*0*0

"_The headmaster's daughter… that was Zelda!" _Amber realized. "_And the blonde boy was Link, that the redhead girl was Karane and the brown haired boy was Pipit!" _It was becoming clear to her now. _"They went night flying with me! I've met all four of them!"_

Memories were coming back to her like a tidal wave. She remembered playing with them, chasing butterflies with them, playing tag with them…

"_They were my friends back then too! We've been friends since childhood! Oh why didn't I remember them?" _Amber thought.

The reason trickled into her mind. They never knew each other's names. And sight wasn't very reliable if she hadn't seen someone for over seven years. Children grew and their features changed to the dismay of many parents.

But oh, how wonderful it was to know they really were her friends!

"So, do you accept the invitation?" the professor asked.

"Hmm?" Amber was drawn out of her thoughts.

"Do you want to come to learn at the academy?"

"Well…" The choice should have been easy. She could live in the same building with her friends, eat with them, and see each other every day.

But then there was home, where she had lived in isolation for over seven years. It wasthe very place she had breathed her first and uttered her first cry. Who would look after her plants? Who would clean the home? Her ties to that little island had become strong in the years she had spent there. She had rarely gone to Skyloft after her mother's death, only to get food and clothes. She never talked to anyone very much. She wasn't anyone interesting, just someone that came to Skyloft occasionally.

"Well… I'll think about it." Amber said.

The professor nodded. "Please tell us what you have decided by the end of the week." With that, he turned and started back towards the academy.

A week? How could she decide in a week?

0*0*0

"So let me get this start." Link said, leaning against the wall. "You've been invited to join the academy?"

Amber nodded.

"So what's the big deal? Say yes!" Karane did a fist pump.

"Karane, it's not that easy." Zelda objected.

Amber sighed. "It really isn't."

Pipit nodded. "It's not like she lives in Skyloft and can visit home whenever."

Karane crossed her arms. "Okay, point taken." She sighed.

Link looked at her with worry. "I think you should sleep on it Amber."

Amber rubbed her forehead. "I think I will."

The bell rang, starting the beginning of evening activities.

The four didn't leave right away. Zelda approached Amber and hugged her. Karane and Pipit followed Zelda, putting their arms around Amber. Last but not least, Link's arms went around her too.

A little startled, Amber slowly relaxed. There was no place in the world she would have rather been at that moment.

**A/N Tee hee… cliffhanger! You'll have to wait until next chapter to see what Amber decides. **

**-Princess Aleada**


	6. Chapter 6: Furniture and Paint

**A/N Sorry for the SUPER long wait! I really don't have any material for this chapter, so this is going to be a little short. Hey, at least it got done!**

**Expect next chapter in a month or so. I'm fighting a really bad writer's block. **

Dawn had covered Amber with its warm pink-orange glow as it trickled across the sky. Bathed in the early morning light, she pondered her near impossible choice. Did she accept and leave behind the only home she had ever known? Or did she stay on the island and miss one of the greatest opportunities she had ever been offered?

The choice should have been simple. She could return to her mother and father's home island, live with her friends, and never be alone again.

Or she could stay at her birthplace, the very island's soil cool against her feet. She could still see her friends every day. She had been happy with the way she had lived for years. Why should it change?

Deep in her soul, Amber felt a stirring from deep within. She never had been truly content with the life she had lived.

Maybe it was time to start anew.

Her eyes fell to the grave of her parents. Although technically it was her mother's grave, because her father's body couldn't be recovered, she always thought of it as her parent's grave, not just her mother's.

How could she leave the only place she could call home? It was sacred ground to her. The place she had breathed her first and was planning to breathe her last? Her memories seemed to be in the very ground she stood on.

"WATCH OUT!"

Amber ducked as a chair flew across the room. "Watch it!" she yelled.

Link picked himself off the floor. "Well if you haven't left that box on the floor…"

Amber rolled her eyes. "Look before you step then."

"It's hard to see where you're going when there's a giant chair in your hand."

Amber chucked a pillow at him. Link ducked, the pillow flying inches over his head. It instead hit Pipit full in the face. The desk he was carrying almost fell to the floor.

"WHAT THE HECK?" Pipit yelled.

"Sorry!" Amber said. "I was aiming for-"

She never finished her sentence. A pillow hit the side of her head, smacking into her ear.

"Oh it's on!" she yelled, grabbing a stray pillow on the floor.

Before long, it was a no mercy, all out pillow fight. Somehow Zelda and Karane joined the fight halfway through the battle. The pillow war ended when a pillow hit a lamp, knocking it over.

At least, Amber thought it was a lamp.

"Sorry!" Zelda squeaked.

"Why are you saying sorry to a lamp?" Amber asked.

The Pipit stared at her, causing her to go pink. "Does Fledge _look _like a lamp to you?" he asked.

"Well he looked like one!" Amber protested.

"I'm offended." Fledge said, getting up. Now that he was standing up, Amber saw he looked nothing like a lamp. He had light brown hair streaked with blonde and brown eyes that were filled with annoyance. He brushed off his bright orange tunic and stared at Amber, making her feel uncomfortable.

There was a long silence as Fledge stared at her with an unwavering gaze. Finally Karane spoke up.

"Are you just going to _stare _at her all day?"

Fledge blushed. "No, I was just-"

Karane cut him off. "Just help us with the boxes."

Fledge obeyed her command. The chatter slowly filled the room again as people came in and out of the room, carrying heavy boxes and furniture.

A little while later, Amber spotted Fledge struggling to lift a table out of the room. She ran over to him, avoiding the numerous boxes lying all over the floor.

"Let me help you." She said, grabbing one end of the table.

"No really-"he protested. Amber was set on helping him though, and his arguing met deaf ears as Amber helped him carry the table out of the room.

They set the table down in the hallway. Fledge looked up at her.

"I could have carried it you know." He said.

Amber rolled her eyes. "You're welcome." She said, running back into the room. Link and Pipit were taking down some paintings hanging on the wall.

Zelda came in, carrying some paint. Amber looked at the pale blue walls, then the paint.

"Are we painting the walls?" Amber asked her.

"Isn't it obvious?" Karane called from across the room.

Amber frowned at the paint. "No offense, but the paint looks like barf." She said.

Zelda laughed a little. "Well if you want something else, I'll show you were you can get another color."

Amber followed her out of the door. Zelda opened a brown door across the hall and went inside. She followed Zelda and sneezed.

The closet was full of dust. Amber could have sworn she saw some bugs crawling in a corner.

"See anything you like?"

It took Amber a second to realize the closet was full of dusty cans of paint. She tried to respond, but she sneezed again.

"When was the last time someone _cleaned _this place?

"Last year?" Zelda responded, sounding unsure.

"That does _not _sound good." Amber said, brushing the dust of the paint cans. She looked up and inwardly groaned. There seemed to be thousands of cans crammed into the tiny room.

Suddenly feeling overwhelmed, Amber grabbed two buckets, not caring what color they were.

"That was quick." Zelda commented as they walked out.

Amber smiled in reply.

Pipit, Link, Karane, and Fledge greeted them with paintbrushes as Amber put the cans of the floor. The white rug had been covered in paper and the walls had been stripped of their paintings.

"Amber…" Pipit began.

"What?" Amber said, looking at the wall.

"You grabbed two different colors." Link said.

Amber turned around. "Huh?" She picked up the cans and looked at the faded label. It was unreadable, so she opened the can.

A bright lime green liquid swished around in the metal contents of the can. Amber turned to Zelda, who was holding the other bucket. "What's in that?" she asked.

Zelda pointed inside the can. Pink paint, equally as bright as the lime green, glimmered in the sunlight streaming through the windows.

"You know we have to use them right?" Pipit said.

"Huh?" Amber turned to him.

"You can't put back cans you've already opened." Karane explained.

Amber groaned. "So now we're stuck with these colors?"

"It's not too bad." Zelda said.

"_Says you"_ Amber thought.

Zelda dipped her paintbrush into the bucket containing the lime green paint. Turning to the wall, she began painting a large vertical stripe down the wall.

"What are you doing?" Amber asked.

"I'm painting a stripe." She replied. "When I'm done with this one, I'll make a pink stripe."

Link grinned, dipping his paintbrush in the can holding pink paint. "I'm going to get started with the pink one."

Soon everyone was dipping paintbrushes into cans full of paint. The walls that were once pale blue, now had pink and lime green stripes going up and down.

Amber stepped back to admire the walls with the others. The sun was low in the sky. It wasn't twilight quite yet, but it was coming close.

There was a crash. Amber turned to find Fledge, his boots covered in pink paint.

Fledge blushed. "Sorry." He smiled sheepishly.

Everyone burst out laughing, even Fledge.

Outside, snow had begun to fall, covering the island in the white flakes. There was no wind, just silence. The sun bathed the falling snow in the colors of twilight as it dipped below the horizon, embracing the coming night.

Amber noticed none of this as she laughing along with her friends. She realized that the word _home _was beginning to apply to Skyloft and the room she was in. She should have felt sad, but strangely, she felt at peace. More at peace then she had been in years.

**A/N Enjoy this? I had half of this done for about a month, but I was having a really hard time writing it. See you next chapter! (I hope) **

**Reviews appreciated, but not required.**

**-Princess Aleada**


	7. Chapter 7: The Chase

**A/N All I can say… I AM SO SORRY! DX Severe writers block… and to be honest I totally forgot about The Lost Hope. I AM A TERRIBLY FANFICTION WRITER! Yes, I changed my name from Princess Aleada to Khalida Jewel. I think I already said that, but just making sure.**

**This is just going to be a small filler chapter… I hope it makes up for my absence. *dodges vegetables* **

An icy ball of snow being smashed in her face was not an ideal way to start the morning in Amber opinion.

"What the heck Karane!" she screeched, throwing off her covers. Karane, her hands cold and wet from the snowball grinned as she wiped her hands on Amber's bedspread.

Amber groaned and flopped back down on her bed, wiping the snow off with her hand. "It's the weekend Karane."

"Exactly!" Karane said. "I'd thought we could go flying or something-"

"It's snowing Karane." Amber said.

"So?" Karane said. "Then maybe we could do some snowball fighting-"

"Just let me sleep. 90% chance we'll go inside when we get back anyway." Amber muttered.

Karane yanked her off her bed, sending Amber tumbling to the ground. Before she could even get on her feet, Karane grabbed her arm and dragged her out the door.

"Can I at least get dressed?" Amber said, rolling her eyes.

Karane ignored her and barged into Zelda's room. Zelda, who was drawing at her desk, looked up and sighed.

"Honestly Karane?" Zelda said.

Karane let go of Amber's arm. "Yes."

Amber quickly got up, then punched Karane lightly on the arm.

"Ouch." Karane said sarcastically.

Amber scowled at her. "95% chance I'm going to punch you again."

"Why not 100%? Not that I'm complaining-" Karane said.

"So what are the plans for the day?" Zelda asked, sitting down on her bed.

"She wants to go flying." Amber said, pointing a finger at Karane.

Zelda frowned. "You realize it's snowing ri-"

"Yes, we've already established that!" Karane said.

There was some banging on the door. "Are you guys ready yet?" It was Link.

Amber sighed. "Can I please go get dressed now?" she said looking at Karane.

"Karane, I don't care how fun it is. I am not going to go steal a bug from Strich." Pipit said. The five of them were sitting around a table in the academy's dining room.

"But it's fun to watch him get all flustered!" Karane protested.

"Leave the poor guy and his bug obsession alone." Amber said.

Link wasn't paying attention to the conversation, instead reading a textbook, which Karane promptly slapped out of his hands. It landed a few feet away. Link scowled, then went to retrieve the textbook.

"85% chance that he didn't study at all these past few days." Amber whispered. That caused everyone to burst into laughter.

"I wish you'd stop with the percents." Link said, sitting back down.

Amber grinned. "It's fun!"

Link rolled his eyes. "Do you remember how to find the difference between a skyloft mantis flower and a stag sprout?" he said.

"Easy." Amber said. "A stag sprout is small-"

"That was kind of obvious." Link said.

"Do you want help or not?" Amber snapped.

"Not rea- ow!" Link yelped. Zelda had kicked him.

Pipit laughed. Turning to Amber, he said "How do you remember all this stuff? I'm in the senior class and you know more stuff then I do!"

Amber shrugged. "It's easy for me. Maybe they should switch us."

"And have to wait another year to become a knight? Never!" Pipit said with mock horror.

"Are you going to try out in the Loftwing Ceremony?" Zelda asked.

Amber shook her head. "I'm supposed to advance a few days after, so I don't really see a point."

When Amber came to the academy a few months ago, it became obvious she was one of the most intelligent students the academy had ever seen, despite her lack of earlier education. School was easy for her, but because she hadn't been at the academy for very long, they were hesitant to move her up to the senior class. She was fond of spewing out random percentages, mainly to annoy Link, who wasn't a fan of school.

"100% sure you don't see a point?" Link teased.

Amber lunged at him, knocking over Zelda's milk.

"What is with you guys and spilling things?" Karane cried, jumping up.

Pipit rolled his eyes, then grabbed a napkin. "It's just milk Karane."

"Of doom!" Amber added.

"Both of you shut up." Karane said.

"Touchy." Pipit and Amber said in unison.

They barely had time to react when Karane charged at them at full speed. Both of them did the sensible thing and ran.

"Get back here!" Karane said.

"Fat chance!" Amber yelled, turning a corner. Pipit was lagging slightly behind her.

"Aren't knights supposed to be in shape?" Amber teased.

"Shut up." He said, gasping for breath.

"Never." She said. They were nearing her room.

She quickly yanked open the door and she and Pipit ran inside. She quickly slammed it shut and locked it. Moments later, Karane was pounding on the door, demanding to be let in.

Amber was on her bed, laughing so hard, tears were rolling down her cheeks. Pipit was on the ground, trying to catch his breath.

"I'm going to kill you both!" Karane screeched.

"Nice knowing you Pipit." Amber said, still laughing.

"My chest hurts." He gasped. "Air…"

Amber just grinned. "I love this place."

**A/N Yes, I know, very boring. But it's something right? I'm thinking about two or three chapters before wrapping this up. But don't worry, there's sequel planned!**

**-Khalida Jewel **


	8. Chapter 8: Preparation

**A/N Another update! :D**

"I heard there's a dance happening at the Lumpy Pumpkin tomorrow night." Karane said as they sat down at their usual table in the cafeteria.

"A dance?" Zelda frowned. "After what happened last time?"

"What do you mean?" Amber asked.

"Let's just say it ended with some broken bones." Karane said.

"Ouch." Amber winced. "Do you know anyone who's going?"

"Nope." Karane said. "But it was only announced a few days ago."

"Maybe Pipit'll ask you." Zelda teased.

Karane turned pink. "Wha, no!" she spluttered. "I don't like him!"

Zelda snickered. "Sure." Amber said, giggling as well.

"Even if I did, he would never-" Karane stammered.

"Never what?" Pipit said, sitting down next to Amber. Link was quick to follow, sitting beside Zelda.

Karane yelped and promptly fell out of her chair.

Amber and Zelda both erupted in fits of laughter.

A red faced Karane got up and started both of them down. "It's not funny!" she yelled.

By now Pipit and Link were laughing as well. Karane swatted Pipit as she sat back down.

"Ouch." Pipit said sarcastically.

"Karane, I know how much he looks next one, but he is NOT a fly." Amber said.

"Hey!" Pipit protested. "Jerk!"

Amber shrugged. "I knew 100% that it would annoy you."

"Can you cut it out with the percents for one day?!" Karane sighed.

"Alright, but I predict that there is a 65% chance-" Amber said.

"Amber!" Karane yelled, cutting her off.

Amber grinned. "Got ya."

"Anyway, have you guys heard about the dance?" Pipit asked.

"We were just talking about that." Zelda replied, ignoring Karane's death glare. "Who are you going with?"

"I haven't decided yet. But I find it highly annoying that guys are supposed to bring girls to dances. Is there anything wrong with going alone?"

Link, who had been silent for most of the conversation, chimed it. "Ah Pipit, the lonely bachelor." He said.

Pipit was turning slightly red. "I am not a lonely-"

"Sure." Link said.

"I bet you don't have a date either." Pipit said.

"I only found out with morning." Link shrugged.

"So you guys both can be lonely bachelors." Karane laughed.

Both of them glared at her.

"Well, I don't think I'm going." Amber said.

"What? How can you not?" Zelda asked.

"It's like the event of the year!" Karane added.

"I thought that was the Loftwing Ceremony." Amber frowned.

Karane rolled her eyes. "Okay, second best event of the year."

"What about when the children get their-" Amber began.

"You know what I mean." Karane sighed.

"Well, it looks like it was going to be warm tomorrow, so I was going to start up the garden again." Amber said.

Pipit frowned. "Are you sure? It's a little early for planting."

"Besides, how are you going to take care of the garden when you have to take classes here?" Link added.

"I'll manage." Amber sighed. She hadn't thought of those problems.

"You could just plant one here…" Zelda said.

Amber shook her head. "It's a family tradition. Like I said, I'll manage."

"Amber, I think it can hold off for one night." Pipit said.

"Besides, you wouldn't want to miss Groose." Link said, rolling his eyes.

Amber laughed. "Fine, I'll go…"

"Finally! Now if you excuse me, I'm going to get some food." Link said, getting up. She was followed by the rest of the gang, minus Pipit and Amber.

"You coming?" Zelda asked.

Amber shook her head. "Already did." Pipit nodded in agreement.

"Alright then." Zelda said.

The minute Zelda turned away, Amber turned to Pipit. "Okay, what did you want me to ask me about?"

"Maybe I just want to sit here and talk." Pipit grinned.

"I can hear your stomach growling from here Pipit." Amber said.

"Alright fine." Pipit sighed. Lowering his voice, he said, "I wanted to ask you something."

"Um, okay." Amber said, her heart pounding.

"_What on earth?!_ " Amber thought. "_I don't even like him!" _

"So, there's this girl I've liked for a while, but I don't know how to approach her." Pipit said.

"Oh." Amber said, feeling strangely disappointed.

"_Stop it! Karane likes him!" _

"Well, is she going to the dance tomorrow night?" Amber asked.

"Yeah." He said.

"Well, you can talk to her then. Very romantic." She said quickly. Then she frowned. "It's Karane, isn't it?"

Pipit laughed. "I promise you, it's not her."

"Not who?" Link said, sitting down.

"Nothing!" Pipit and Amber said.

O*O*O*O

"Yeow!" Amber yelped.

"Amber, do you ever brush your hair?" Zelda sighed.

"Not really." Amber muttered. "Ouch!"

"I'm sorry, but there's a lot of tangles."

They were in Zelda's room, getting ready for the dance that would be happening that night. Karane was sitting at Zelda's desk while Zelda and Amber were sitting on Zelda's bed, while Zelda brushed Amber's wild red hair.

"Ow!" Amber yelped.

"Hold still!" Zelda said.

"Kind of hard when someone's tugging on your hair!"

Karane sighed. "When are you guys going to be done?" she asked, getting up to fix her light green dress. The dress just barely covered her knees and was covered in little dark green Triforces around the hem and neckline. For some reason, she also wore white leggings.

Zelda's dress was amazing. Light blue in color and just brushing her ankles, little white loftwings were sewn around the hem. Above the white sash, it was covered in a line of white flowers.

Amber's dress wasn't anything nearly as fine. It was very favorite color, dark green, but the dresses' only decoration was the sash, the same color has her dress. The selves were short, like the other two girl's dresses, but that was the only similarity. At least it a few inches higher than her ankles. Amber couldn't imagine moving around in such a long dress. But still, she wished she owned something a little more fine.

With another yelp from Amber, Zelda finished brushing Amber's hair. "You know, your hair isn't curly." Zelda commented.

"Huh?" Amber asked, looking in the mirror.

Her long red hair was being fixed into a braid by Zelda.

"It's actually wavy. You'll see when you take out the braid after the dance." Zelda said.

Karane sighed. "Can we go now?"

"One second." Zelda said, pulling on her shoes. "Alright, now." She said.

Karane rolled her eyes. "About time." She mumbled, heading out the door.

Zelda and Amber exchanged a knowing smile before following Karane.

**A/N Only two more chapters to go! The next two updates shouldn't take quite as long, but no promises. **


	9. Chapter 9: The Dance

**A/N Told you it would be fast! Second to last chapter. *sniff***

The evening sky presented a beautiful sunset as the three girls jumped off a diving platform letting out an ear piercing whistle. Within moments, their birds appeared and stopped their fall. The three rose up into the sky and set course for Pumpkin Landing.

Amber let out a whoop of joy as the wind rushed past her, ruining her carefully braided hair. She swooped up into the air and did a loop. She couldn't help it. It had been at least a month since she had last flown.

Zelda was yelling at her for messing up her hair and doing such a reckless stunt while Karane went into fits of laughter. Amber grinned at the blonde and did the logical thing.

She jumped off her bird.

Zelda began to scream as Amber did a flip, the clouds quickly approaching. Karane quickly joined and they both swooped down to catch her.

Moments away from the cloud barrier, Amber whistled again. Her bird swiftly returned and they both shot up into the sky at an incredible speed.

Karane was calling Amber every epithet in the book while Zelda again started yelling at Amber. She rolled her eyes in response.

"Guys, chill out." Amber said.

"You could've died! The last time you did that stunt, you crashed landed at that mushroom place!" Zelda shrieked.

"That was just because of the tornado." Amber scoffed.

"You're lucky that Link was with you." Zelda said.

"He was the reason I jumped in the first place."

"Don't forget that Pipit saved you." Karane added. "You were lucky he was on patrol."

At the mention of Pipit, Amber felt her cheeks grow warm. She turned away before they saw her pink face. "Lucky, that's me."

"What?" Zelda asked.

"Never mind."

The birds began a slow descent, the Lumpy Pumpkin just seconds in front of them. Soon, they landed by the restaurants' large pumpkin patch. The three jumped off their birds and Zelda made no hesitation when she ran up to Amber. Before Amber could react, Zelda yanked out the braid and pulled a hairbrush through her hair.

"Ow!" Amber protested, trying to squirm away.

"Hold still!" Zelda yelled. "The braid got messed up when you did your stunt."

Amber rolled her eyes. "I bet it's not that bad."

Zelda quickly redid the braid. "How much do you want to bet?" she said, tying it off.

Amber sighed. "Whatever Zelda." she said, pushing open the door.

Amber was greeted to the pleasant smell of pumpkin soup as she walked into the dimly lit restaurant. The tables had been shoved to the sides, leaving plenty of room for dancing. Onstage, a small band played a feisty tune, accompanied by a small group of dancers.

"There you guys are!" Link exclaimed. "The dance started twenty minutes ago!"

"Oh, big deal." Amber said sarcastically.

"It's not the end of the world." Karane chimed in.

Pipit laughed. "They're girls Link. What do you expect?"

The remark earned Pipit a sharp jab in the gut from Amber, followed by a punch in the shoulder from Karane.

"Geez." Pipit mumbled.

"Anyway, they have some pumpkin soup up at the buffet. Anyone wanna come?" Link asked.

"That question doesn't need an answer." Karane said, dashing away.

O*O*O

"This is the best thing I have ever tasted." Amber mumbled, taking another mouthful of the soup.

"I think Pumm is giving us the evil eye." Pipit muttered.

Amber burst out laughing.

The five friends had found themselves an empty table near the bar, where Pumm was wiping glasses with a towel, eyeing the students and the bowl of pumpkin soup.

"So I spilled some. He'll live." Karane said.

Now it was Zelda's turn to chuckle. "I think he'll be just fine."

"Hey, I just realized something." Link said. Before anyone could respond, he said "Amber hasn't said a single percent all evening."

Amber grinned slyly. "Well, I calculate a 100% chance that-"

"Amber!" Karane protested.

"Okay, geez." Amber said. "Don't go all crazy on me."

Karane rolled her eyes. "It's annoying."

"Why do you think I do it?"

"Link!" Zelda yelled.

Amber turned her head around to see Zelda standing up, pumpkin soup all over her seat. Her dress hadn't been touched, but she was clearly annoyed.

"Sorry Zel." Link said.

Zelda grumbled something as she went to grab a towel from Pumm.

"Smooth Link." Pipit commented.

"Shut up."

Karane sighed. "This is entertaining."

Pipit smiled. "Then my lady, may I have this dance?" he said, getting up to stand next to Karane.

Karane turned pink. "Sure!' she spluttered, she said, holding out her hand.

Pipit smiled, then led her out onto the dance floor.

Amber felt her heart drop as the two began twirling around on the dance floor, eyes shining, both smiling.

"_Of course it was her." _Amber thought. _"How could I have thought otherwise?" _

The thoughts didn't help her mood.

Amber watched sullenly as the two danced through three songs, ignoring Zelda and Link asking if she was all right. Eventually, Link asked Zelda to dance, which she gladly accepted. Amber slumped down in her seat as Karane made her way over to her.

"That was so much fun!" she said breathily. "Who knew he was such a good dancer? Do you think he likes me? He just went to get me some punch-"

"I'm going outside." Amber interrupted, getting up. She ignored Karane questions and went over to the door. As she yanked it open, she noticed Karane talking to Pipit, pointing at her, a confused look on her face.

Amber looked away. She didn't need to see them making googly eyes at each other.

It was now quite dark outside, the moon casting a silver light open the island. Amber headed to the side, out of site of the door. She leaned against the railing, looking at the cloud barrier below. A single tear dripped down her cheeks, joining the clouds below. And her father.

It had been months since she last thought of him and that terrible storm that took him away from her. His final words rang in her mind like bells.

_I love you Amber!_

"I love you Daddy." She whispered.

Another tear fell as she remembered her mother's last breath, how hard she tried to open her mouth to say some final words, but couldn't. The look in her eyes said everything. She loved Amber too.

"_Why did they have to die?" _she thought, watching another tear fall to join the clouds. _"The only people that I knew loved me back?"_

She knew it now; it was no use denying it. She realized it the moment she saw him take Karane's hand.

She was in love with Pipit.

The shutting of the door brought Amber to reality. Footsteps began to approach her. She wiped her eyes, then turned to face her visitor.

"_Oh by the goddesses, not him!"_

"Hey." Pipit said, standing next to her.

"Hey." She mumbled, turning away. She leaned on the railing again, watching the clouds below.

"What wrong?" he frowned.

"Nothing." She replied.

"You've been crying, haven't you." He said quietly.

Amber didn't respond.

"Amber, I can see your eyes, they're bright red. Just please, tell me what's wrong."

"My parents." She said in an almost silent whisper, her voice breaking. She refused to let any tears fall. Not in front of him.

Pipit pulled her into a hug. "Please don't cry." He muttered.

"Why did they have to die…" she whispered.

"Everyone goes at some point Amber."

"That's cheery." She mumbled.

"It's true." He pointed out.

Amber pulled away from the hug to lean back on the railing. "I guess." She mumbled.

They stood there in silence for a few moments.

"Amber, I know this isn't the best time to tell you this…" Pipit said suddenly.

"Tell me what?" Amber frowned. She turned towards him.

"Well, you see, well…. ugh, and well…"

"Just spit it out Pipit." Amber said, turning back to the railing. "If it's about Karane, I already figured it out."

"Why would this be about Karane?" he asked, frowning a little.

"You danced with her."

"What's wrong with two friends dancing together?" he asked.

"Nothing…" Amber mumbled. Suddenly, his words registered in her mind.

"_He said friends! Friends! He doesn't like Karane!"_

Never had that word sounded more magical to her.

"Amber, I don't like her. I like someone else. I told you that."

"Oh." She mumbled.

"_Of course it's someone else. Why would he ever like me?" _

"Amber, we've been friends for a while and well…" he said. He reached out and took her hand. Amber looked at him, her green eyes wide.

"These past few months have been amazing. You are funny, and well, full of sass." He laughed a little. "And most of all, beautiful inside and out."

He paused for a moment.

"I realized a little while ago…" he said.

Amber's eyes were as wide as the moon above her. Chuckling slightly, Pipit wrapped his arms around her waist and brought his face close to hers.

"I love you Amber." He whispered, putting his lips on Amber's.

Amber didn't react for a moment. Then suddenly, everything registered in her mind. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed back with all the force she could muster in her surprised state.

But then, Amber saw movement in the window.

Amber knew it wasn't Karane, but her face came into mind anyway. Tears were pouring down her friend's cheeks, eyes red.

"_How could you do this to me Amber?! You knew I liked him!"_

Amber pulled away from the kiss, shoving Pipit away from her.

"Hey!" Pipit protested. "What's wrong?!"

"I-I can't!" Amber stammered, tears once again running down her cheeks.

"What?!" Pipit asked, surprise all over his face.

"I can't!" Amber yelled, turning away from him. Her feet began to pound against the grass as she ran away from him, not wanting to see his face.

Pipit's footsteps were not far behind. "Amber, what's wrong?!" he yelled.

Amber didn't answer, instead jumping off the diving platform. She managed a strangled whistle to summon her bird, which promptly caught her.

Right before she sped off, she saw Pipit's face. He looked incredibly confused, his eyes brimming with tears.

Amber watched him disappear into the night. Then, when she couldn't see him anymore, she allowed herself to dissolve into tears, burying her face in her bird's neck, not caring where she was going.

**A/N Oh Amber, life doesn't seem to like you, does it? *evil grin* **

**I am so glad I proofread this chapter before I posted it, it was full of misspelling and grammar errors. I doubt I caught all of them, but oh well. **

**The next update won't be here nearly as fast, there's still some stuff I have to work out, but it shouldn't take too long. **

**See you in the next (and last) chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10: Taken

The grass was cool, tipped with morning dew as she quietly shut the door. It was unlikely she would meet anyone, due to the early hour. And even if she did, she highly doubted it would be him. The boy's dorms were downstairs.

It was silent as she walked up the wooden stairs, a rosy pink light bathing Skyloft. The residents would be awakening soon. She wanted to be out of sight by then.

She chose the least used platform. She didn't want anyone to see her. Using the ones in town would have certainly got the attention of someone. She just wanted to be alone for a day. She wouldn't miss anything at school, there were no lessons that day.

The Goddess Statue loomed over her. She had found it intimating once, but now it almost seemed comforting. Warm. Inviting.

In her hand, she held a picnic basket, filled with food and water. It was far too much for just a day out. If used sparingly, it could last her a month. And of course, there were seeds too. Gardening appealed to her. Anything to get away from her thoughts.

She paused, the platform just in front of her. It wouldn't hurt to stay a few minutes. Leaving now would certainly cause suspicion. She decided to wait until the night patrol landed. She could be mistaken for the day patrol. Of course, it had the higher risk of being seen, but she would just avoid them. She had been doing that for years, she could do it again.

"Unless they changed me." She thought a faint smile on her lips. It quickly vanished. Thinking about them led her to remember the night before. It hurt too much to sift through those memories.

She had managed to make it back to Skyloft in one piece that night. She locked herself in her dorm, clutching her pillow, tears streaming down her cheeks. Karane and Zelda were soon pounding at her door, asking what was wrong and why she left. They also said that Pipit was sitting in the plaza, refusing to talk to anyone, just staring out at the sky. Eventually, they left her and her thoughts alone.

She knew she had changed in the past few months. Her sarcastic remarks turned into playful teasing, her coldness had turned warm, and her loneliness was gone, replaced by a sense of belonging. But it didn't last. Her new self was gone, the person who she used to be back on the throne. She embraced this self with open arms. Things were easier when she was her old self. Just her and her island. Peace.

But her old self was like an old piece of clothing. Tight. Restraining. Uncomfortable.

What had she gained from leaving her island? She had shattered a boy's heart for the sake of friendship, giving up her happiness for her friend. She should have known it wouldn't last. Once Pipit told them what had happened, things would be different. No more laughter and jokes. Just awkwardness.

She did love him. Link may have been the one she met first, but Pipit was the one who really made her feel alive again. He was the one who had sewn the last stitch, the one who had mended her shattered heart. The one she loved with all her heart. The one she couldn't have.

The memories that used to be lighthearted and sweet were now full of misery and lost hope. Taunting reminders that if she hadn't sacrificed love for friendship. She could have been happy. Things would be better. But it would be Karane nursing a broken heart.

Karane had loved him much longer then she had. Shouldn't that given her all rights to be the one who kissed Pipit that night? The one that should have been the one Pipit loved? Shouldn't it be Karane who would be remembering how his lips felt on hers?

The kiss. Her first kiss. The horrible kiss. The beautiful kiss. The kiss that raised mountains, the kiss that destroyed kingdoms. The kiss that renewed her.

The kiss that broke her.

She could still remember how it felt so _right. _So _magical. _So _amazing._

In that moment, a single drop of perfection fell on her.

"_He said I was beautiful."_

A rumbling noise brought her back to reality. Watery paths were making their way down her cheeks, kept alive by her tear filled eyes. She didn't wipe them. There wasn't anyone around.

Another rumbling noise, coming from the direction of the statue. She frowned, clutching her picnic basket. Slowly, she made her way towards it.

It didn't make a sound. But something caught her eye.

Was there a _door _at the bottom of the statue?

There was no mistaking it. A part of the statue had been moved, revealing a small crack, just wide enough to get her hand in.

She frowned. Holding the picnic basket in one hand, she cautiously pushed it open with one hand. With a surprising lack of force, she slipped inside the statue.

The chamber was light by four torches, surrounding a pedestal, which appears to be holding a sword, Curious, she shut the door and took a step toward it.

It was a deadly error.

A terrible scream rose up around her, filled with despair and loss. Alarmed, she fumbled for the door, but it had vanished. Pounding on the wall, she searched desperately for the crack.

Something yanked her backward, dragging her into the main chamber, Her picnic basket fell to the side as the force smashed into her with incredible strength. Then it was gone.

She fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Her relief would not last long.

At that moment, she realized she had made a horrible mistake.

**A/N And that's the end. *evil grin* Cliffhanger, You'll have to wait for the sequel before you can find out what happened to poor Amber. **

**Now, prepare yourselves for a super long author's note. **

**First things first. Wanna know a secret? The intended pairing for the story was actually Link x Amber. Crazy right? But after I saw so many people rooting for Pipit, I decided to switch it. It works a lot better this way I think. **

**This chapter was a bit hard to write because I couldn't figure out how the door would open. It was a spur of the moment thing, so it's not like Amber could have learned a magical spell to open the door or something. So I decided on this. **

**Before I forget, the sequel should be coming out in a few months at maximum. I still have to figure out how I'm going to tell it, since it involves a lot of POV switching, but it should be figured out soon. **

**Anyway, I want to thank everyone who reviewed, but I wanted to personally thank Collen-TJ and Shadowninja101 1 for reviewing on almost every single chapter and giving me so such encouragement. **

**I also want to thank everyone who has stuck with my writing and this story for so long. After so many ditched writings and pauses, I finally have a finished multi chapter FanFiction. It is with great pride that I switched the story's progress to completed. **

**Thank you so much everyone. I hope the sequel lives up to your expectations. **

**-Khalida Jewel**


	11. Chapter 11: AN

Is anyone still looking for updates on this?

It's been a year I think? Not entirely sure.

Well, I've come to the realization that this story is one that needs a lot of fixing. As someone has already stated, it ended way too soon and went mostly unresolved. It was my first finished one, but the ending was rushed and could have been a lot better.

So, I'm going to rewrite it.

The rewrite will be a different story, so you can still look at the original if you want to. I'm not sure how much time I'll devote to this, but seeing as I got nothing planned this summer, might as well do something besides sit in front of the air conditioner.

So yeah, watch out for a rewrite coming out sometime soon.


End file.
